Money can't buy love, but it might be able to buy a World Series title.
Meet the New York Yankees. And this year, they really outdid themselves.
In a free-agent market full of good pitching and only a few good bats, the Yankees flexed their financial muscle and outspent any and all challengers for the players they wanted.
As a result, the Yankees picked up stud starting pitchers A.J. Burnett and C.C. Sabathia, as well as switch-hitting first baseman Mark Teixeira. In the end, the Bombers committed $423.5 million dollars to sign three players to long-term deals, bolstering a weak pitching staff and adding a young, elite hitter to their lineup.
With the way the economy stands right now, doesn't this sort of behavior scream for a salary cap?
Small-market teams simply cannot compete with the kind of money the large-market teams bring in -- especially the Yankees -- and the integrity of the game suffers as a result.
Every other major professional sports league employs a salary cap, so why can't baseball? Sure, the luxury tax spreads around some money to smaller teams, but teams like the Boston Red Sox and Yankees simply are not affected.
This coming season, the Yankees will spend a little over $118 million on their starting lineup alone. Their top four pitchers, Sabathia, Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang and closer Mariano Rivera, will be paid a combined $58.5 million.
In other pro leagues, teams are generally good and bad in cycles, with the bad teams rebuilding through the draft and player development, and the good teams adding one or two key players to make a run at the playoffs or a championship.
As a result, the National Football League, National Basketball Association and National Hockey League put together seasons that are defined by parity.
Major League Baseball does not.
Since baseball added an additional wild card playoff spot in 1995, the Yankees or Red Sox have taken it in nine out of 14 seasons. In that same time period, those two won the American League East 12 out of 14 times, with the Yankees taking home the title on 10 occasions.
Essentially, by virtue of having the most money, the Yankees and Red Sox are practically locks to make it to the playoffs each season.
Yes, the Tampa Bay Rays won the AL East in 2008, went to the World Series and will compete again this upcoming season, but the Rays represent a rare giant killer.
They put its team together by planning for the future, using high draft picks from poor seasons and placing together a complete team instead of paying high-priced superstars.
Unfortunately for Tampa, their young talent will outgrow their modest contracts eventually and move on to greener pastures.
Then the Rays, like all other small-market competitors, will have to rebuild for the future.
That sort of thinking does not compute for the Yankees. Every year, the Yankees' management has the mindset of World Series or bust and their offseason moves prove that.
Had the Yankees been economical in their spending this past November, December and January and been forced to operate under a salary cap, their playoff potential would be unlikely at best instead of now being in a position to win the World Series.
Do fans of the game really enjoy seeing the same teams dominate every year? Will it be satisfying for Baltimore and Toronto fans to already be eliminated from the playoff race by July?
What other professional sports teams pick and choose their players to form an all-star team?
The current system needs to go so that fans around the country can enjoy watching their team have a fighting chance year in and year out.
Otherwise, the status quo will remain, and the Yankees will continue to overpay the best players to win at all costs, maintaining the vicious cycle that currently exists in Major League Baseball.
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Your article's first line, "Money can't buy love, but it might be able to buy a World Series title," explains why we don't need a salary cap. Its only possible to win with the salary. Low Salary teams have had great success over the years. The one thing not having a cap does that everyone discounts is make things interesting. You big market teams always have a decent team, which is important for the sport. In baseball you have two options buy great players or develope them. Developing them is the route many teams have started taking.
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yeah, I'm with Martin on this one. What is the statistic... there have been eight different World Series winners in the last nine years? With the only repeat the Boston Red Sox; who do an amazing job of both player development (Youkilis, pedroia, ellsbury, lester) as well as utilization of capital. Baseball salary issues and contiual team disorganization are not related to the size of one's market. Minnesota, Atlanta, Oakland, St. Louis, South Side Chicago, Florida, Houston consistently field very competitive teams because of overall team direction. Perenial celler dweller teams can look to a mismanagement of funds, poor scouting/farm systems and a general malaise that mediocraty can be accepted as long as a few fans fill the seats. See Royals, Pirates, Nationals, Orioles for teams that just don't get it. Everyone else in the middle has a clear shot at Winning a division and probably has had some bright spots in the last decade. If you are concerned about inflated player salaries and rediculous sums being paid to prima donas then you can scream salary cap, but don't hide behind competitive balance as your reasoning for a salary ceiling. The only cap is baseball is the one that goes on your head.
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and really, is there nothing else going on at Virginia Tech that you had to take up a column writing yet another article complaining about the yankees spending a lot of money. This represents no originality of your own or a worthwhile piece for your readers. As a baseball fan that would like to read a piece in the CT, where is a fall/winter look at our baseball team? which new prospets do the hokies look to roll out this year? How will we stack up against the powerhouses of the ACC? How has the team continued to progress under a fairly new coach? Who are the standout seniors this year that look to shine? are they getting scouted at all? where do they look to fit into the baseball salary arena? did we have any graduating players go pro last year that nobody is talking about? there has to have been a fall season or scrimages, did anybody really dominate or wow the competition?... seem like all amazing stories that I want to read about.
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'nuff said, you clown.
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SWAAAAAAAAAAAAH! nuff said cool guy
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agreed with martin. every team should always be thinking world series or bust
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Baseball does not need a salary cap. It needs the cheapo owners to spend a little money. The NFL has a cap -- but it also requires teams to spend 88% of the cap -- rising to 90% in a couple of years. If baseball had a $125m cap -- a reasonable total -- and teams were required to spend 90% of that, you'd have a minimum payroll of $112.5m. Florida would need to add $90m to their payroll. Other teams, $70-80m. Without a floor, you're just restricting the Yankees payroll, and instead of out-spending Florida by $180m, it would only be $100m.
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you really think the new york yankees are the baseball cap scapegoats? did you not realize that Selig earned just shy of $18 million in 2007? for facilitating?
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